"I am so happy," Maddison's mother, Jenny Armer, posted on Facebook. "We are all in tears. I'm so happy I could just screeeaaaammm."

A video of Darla's homecoming posted to Facebook makes it all too clear that Darla felt the same way about being separated from her family. In the clip, Darla can barely contain herself, bouncing from one family member to the next, her tail whirring like a helicopter.

It's not uncommon for dogs seized under England's Dangerous Dogs Act to be returned to their owners following a period of behavioural assessment and observation. In fact, in Belfast, where the ban is also enforced, 10 out of 11 seized dogs have been returned to their families, according to a press release sent to The Dodo by Belfast City Council.

Authorities in Lancashire appear to have made a similar exception for Darla, whom the family describes as a very friendly mix between a shar-pei and a Staffordshire bull terrier.